By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja
A legal practitioner and human rights advocate, Hamza Dantani, has called on security agencies, including the Police, Army and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to adopt the Department of State Services (DSS) policy of compensating innocent citizens wrongly arrested, detained or injured during security operations.
In a statement titled “DSS Compensation Initiative Sets Standard for Security Agencies,” Dantani praised the Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, for introducing compensation for victims of wrongful arrests, describing the initiative as a major step towards accountability.
“This is a bold, commendable and unprecedented gesture that deserves national recognition,” he said. “While security agencies have a constitutional responsibility to protect the nation, they also have a moral and legal obligation to acknowledge mistakes and provide remedies to innocent citizens whose rights have been violated.”
He stressed that the fight against terrorism, banditry and other crimes must respect the rule of law and fundamental human rights.
